raven_morgan's review against another edition
5.0
Kate Richards is a trained medical doctor who works in medical research. She is also, to paraphrase her in this book, "mad".
This book takes the reader on a journey through her episodes of psychosis and self harm, through mania and a quest to find a useful psychologist and psychiatrist, as well as the medication and skills Richards needs in order to manage her illness.
This is one of the most beautiful, heart wrenching and painful memoirs of mental illness I have read.
Richards is a beautiful writer, and uses her skill to describe her illness in sometimes gut churning detail, especially in regards to the periods of self harm she goes through (the book, for example, opens as she tries to amputate her own arm in a period of psychosis).
My main thoughts upon finishing this book are these:
As a society, we are not looking after those who are mentally ill the way we should. Richards describes mentally ill people being refused treatment at a hospital after they have self injured (or sub-standard care being provided as "punishment" by emergency room doctors). There is help there, but the patient almost needs to be an advocate for themselves to get it, which many people in the depths of psychosis are unable to do.
How much difference a good psychologist or psychiatrist can make to a patient. I think it takes a very particular type of person to be able to work well in these fields, and it's clear that if Richards hadn't found a psychologist she could work well with (which seems to basically be a matter of chancing upon the right one, after going through the wrong ones, who can be damaging), she very likely wouldn't be alive today.
I don't know if there are answers to these issues, and Richards herself doesn't begin to try to find any. But the issues are there, and it makes me wonder how many people are suffering in silence with mental illness, or are made sicker by medical professionals.
Truly an amazing book. I'd recommend anyone who has an interest in mental health to give it a read.
This book takes the reader on a journey through her episodes of psychosis and self harm, through mania and a quest to find a useful psychologist and psychiatrist, as well as the medication and skills Richards needs in order to manage her illness.
This is one of the most beautiful, heart wrenching and painful memoirs of mental illness I have read.
Richards is a beautiful writer, and uses her skill to describe her illness in sometimes gut churning detail, especially in regards to the periods of self harm she goes through (the book, for example, opens as she tries to amputate her own arm in a period of psychosis).
My main thoughts upon finishing this book are these:
As a society, we are not looking after those who are mentally ill the way we should. Richards describes mentally ill people being refused treatment at a hospital after they have self injured (or sub-standard care being provided as "punishment" by emergency room doctors). There is help there, but the patient almost needs to be an advocate for themselves to get it, which many people in the depths of psychosis are unable to do.
How much difference a good psychologist or psychiatrist can make to a patient. I think it takes a very particular type of person to be able to work well in these fields, and it's clear that if Richards hadn't found a psychologist she could work well with (which seems to basically be a matter of chancing upon the right one, after going through the wrong ones, who can be damaging), she very likely wouldn't be alive today.
I don't know if there are answers to these issues, and Richards herself doesn't begin to try to find any. But the issues are there, and it makes me wonder how many people are suffering in silence with mental illness, or are made sicker by medical professionals.
Truly an amazing book. I'd recommend anyone who has an interest in mental health to give it a read.
georgia_sara93's review
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
Kate Richards has lived experience with psychosis episodes and documents this throughout her memoir of around a 20 year period of not only working in the medical field, but rather being treated in the psychiatric medical field. Sharing personal experiences of what psychosis felt to her, self-harm incidents, and finding the right supports professionally and more importantly socially to help her navigate finding a balance to managing her mental health.
Personal, raw and full of stories, this is a memoir that I believe will stick with me for a while.
superleeni's review
5.0
This book was incredibly moving to me, and at times disturbing. A friend of mine has suffered from psychosis, and this has given me an idea of what it's like for her. of course, every person's experience is different, but Richards' window into her mind was very real and vivid. At times I had to put it down as it became too much, but it was a really great read.
emcde77's review against another edition
5.0
Madness: A memoir is an incredibly brave and honest portrayal of living with a mental illness and provides a unique insight into psychosis. It's not always easy to read due to the descriptions of self harm and voices but it also a book of hope and healing.
t_bone's review
3.0
This book was not what I was expecting. There was nothing at all in it about the 1980s UK band, despite the title. I have often thought I might be mad, but Kate Richards has revealed to me that I experience nothing more than mild anxiety, for now. Kate's crazy is the hearing voice kind of madness. She gives insight into that experience and the terribly inadequate ways we try to treat mental illness. The book has been very well rated here, but I must say I was a little underwhelmed. I thought the main (and unsurprising) points could have been covered in a Sunday magazine feature story. The writing was good, but not profoundly moving - but maybe I am a cold bastard. The book did make me stop and ponder that I - and perhaps a lot of other people - have always assumed that a person experience serious mental illness must have been abused as a child. Why do I assume that, I wonder? Freud probably. Also on the plus side, this book - and another recent read, Dying: a Memoir - have inspired me to get to work on my autobiography, Herpes: a Memoir.
steveinadelaide's review against another edition
5.0
This is a remarkable account of Kate Richards' journey through mental illness. Kate is highly intelligent, articulate and an excellent writer. She has struggled with profoundly debilitating periods of illness and conveys her experience with deep insight and beautiful, poetic language. While her descriptions of her experience are detailed I don't believe it's ever really possible to fully empathise unless one has had a mental illness oneself. And even then, every experience of mental illness is different. I struggled with a major depressive illness for ten years before finding relief in the correctly prescribed medication. Kate's illness was much more severe than mine but ever so often what she described resonated deeply with me. Those moments pulled me in to her world demonstrating how extraordinary her ability to write is. This book is a must-read for everyone given that so many people in our society will suffer from mental health issues - we'll all come into contact with someone we know who has a mental illness - or we may suffer them ourselves. Kate writing about her mental illness is a courageous thing to do. But we desperately need people to share their experiences so that those who suffer know they are not alone. Fortunately, not everyone will suffer as badly as Kate did, but the more we know about the actual experience of mental illness the more compassionate and supporting we can be of those who do.
oldmanv's review
5.0
Quite a remarkable book; erudite, harrowing and uplifting. Also an indictment on Australia's mental health system.
jacquie_mills's review
4.0
I struggled to read the first few pages of "Madness: A memoir". Not because it was badly written or didn't grab me. Because it was describing the time the author attempted to sever her arm - in visceral detail.
This book offers an honest insight into a troubled brain and the severe consequences that can occur as a result - an insight that isn't often shared but should be. Despite the fact that I got slightly squirmish whilst reading the first few pages, I was determined to keep reading and am pleased I did.
Essentially, Richards tells it exactly as it was (as much as she can remember, anyway). She takes the steps that very few have taken and tells the truth. About her hallucinations. Her suicidal thoughts. Her self-harming. Her decision to see a therapist. And then a (largely unhelpful) psychiatrist. Her frequent hospitalisations. Her battle with finding the balance in medications. And, eventually, her path to recovery.
Richards writes in a beautifully descriptive and accessible way that lays her experience on a table for you to not just observe from afar but actually take on board yourself and feel.
"The Cold Ones are severe. Unrelenting. Psychopathic in their gleeful execution of pain...They prefer to whisper - criticisms and threats.", page 27.
"garrotte garrotte garrotte the world will spin you into obsidian oblivion keep the fires burning watch yourself muddy red", page 47.
There are glimmers of hope and joy scattered throughout the book as well and you find yourself feeling so grateful for the fact that Richards was able to experience them and recognise those moments are joyful - offering a reprieve. They mostly take the form of music, books, travel, and cats.
"Mog, the new foster kitten, is phytophilous. Succulents and cacti, previously in pots on the living room window-ledge, are this morning dug up, dismembered and scattered over the floorboards...The big fat cat (Her Royal Greyness) is not impressed with the new addition to our family.", page 212.
"This is the time for studying music theory and astronomy. I love the words of music: portamento, glissando, ricochet, spiccato - a kind of onomatopoeic poem.", page 214.
"Madness: A memoir" does not shy away from describing, in detail, the experience of living with mental illness - as it shouldn't. If people are to truly understand mental illness, exposure to real-life educational stories is the key. I've studied psychology for six years now and I know I personally always found it easier to understand the intricacies and complexities of a mental illness when I could get my hands on a real case study. This book is one that everyone should read to help open up people's minds to the often invisible and hidden suffering that others live with on a daily basis.
This book offers an honest insight into a troubled brain and the severe consequences that can occur as a result - an insight that isn't often shared but should be. Despite the fact that I got slightly squirmish whilst reading the first few pages, I was determined to keep reading and am pleased I did.
Essentially, Richards tells it exactly as it was (as much as she can remember, anyway). She takes the steps that very few have taken and tells the truth. About her hallucinations. Her suicidal thoughts. Her self-harming. Her decision to see a therapist. And then a (largely unhelpful) psychiatrist. Her frequent hospitalisations. Her battle with finding the balance in medications. And, eventually, her path to recovery.
Richards writes in a beautifully descriptive and accessible way that lays her experience on a table for you to not just observe from afar but actually take on board yourself and feel.
"The Cold Ones are severe. Unrelenting. Psychopathic in their gleeful execution of pain...They prefer to whisper - criticisms and threats.", page 27.
"garrotte garrotte garrotte the world will spin you into obsidian oblivion keep the fires burning watch yourself muddy red", page 47.
There are glimmers of hope and joy scattered throughout the book as well and you find yourself feeling so grateful for the fact that Richards was able to experience them and recognise those moments are joyful - offering a reprieve. They mostly take the form of music, books, travel, and cats.
"Mog, the new foster kitten, is phytophilous. Succulents and cacti, previously in pots on the living room window-ledge, are this morning dug up, dismembered and scattered over the floorboards...The big fat cat (Her Royal Greyness) is not impressed with the new addition to our family.", page 212.
"This is the time for studying music theory and astronomy. I love the words of music: portamento, glissando, ricochet, spiccato - a kind of onomatopoeic poem.", page 214.
"Madness: A memoir" does not shy away from describing, in detail, the experience of living with mental illness - as it shouldn't. If people are to truly understand mental illness, exposure to real-life educational stories is the key. I've studied psychology for six years now and I know I personally always found it easier to understand the intricacies and complexities of a mental illness when I could get my hands on a real case study. This book is one that everyone should read to help open up people's minds to the often invisible and hidden suffering that others live with on a daily basis.